Means for sealing revoluble door handles



June 7, 1938. E; PAYNE 2,120,039

MEANS FOR SEALING REVOLUBLE DOOR HANDLES Filed Sept; 4, 1957 292. Ct OSURE FASTENERS.

important one.

Patented June 7, 1938 UNITED STATES Search Room PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR SEALING REVOLUBLE. DOOR HANDLES of Illinois Application September 4, 1937, Serial No. 162,476

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in means for sealing revoluble door handle spindles against leakage of gases or liquids past the same. A door lock and handle assembly of a type with which this invention may be incorporated advantageously is shown in Patent 2,062,261, issued November 24, 1936, on an application filed by Newell Brackett. This type comprises a spindle or a shaft housing mounted in a compartment door such as is found on battle ships and other naval vessels where water-tight compartments are used.

There are many classes of service where a short shaft or spindle turns within a stumng box and where it is necessary to prevent leakage of liquids or gases and in many cases packing is used to provide the necessary seal. Among other classes of service one of the most important ones is the sealing of leakage past door handle spindles in compartment doors where the door handle functions for opening and closing and looking the door and where means are provided for guiding and retaining the handle at the end of its rotation. Modern warfare having developed gas attacks the problem of preventing leakage into or out of the compartments of ships and particularly past the door spindles, has become a very It is also necessary to insure against flooding by water.

One object of the present invention is to provide a housing assembly for a door spindle in which the usual form of so-called packing is dispensed with and in which an air-tight and watertight seal is maintained by a special grease.

Another object is to provide an improved seal for the door spindle in which part of the spindle has a tapering fit in the surrounding parts to aid in maintaining a tight joint.

A further object is to provide for the spindle a cylindrical clearance space in the supporting bushing in which the special grease is forced, thereby forming a reservoir for grease in the form of a band around the spindle, which band does not turn with the spindle.

To simplify the disclosure I have illustrated an existing type of steel door construction as used in naval vessels having the improved assembly mounted therein, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of one side of the door handle assembly; and

Fig. 2 is a central section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

The compartment wall has a door frame comprising a stationary plate Ill which is curved toward the door at H and has also a rib or flange I2 secured thereto as for example by welding, thus forming a protecting space or groove within which a rubber gasket [3 is secured. On the opposite side of the plate I is a metallic wedge 14 with which a metal extension I5 called a dog, has engagement to maintain the door handle IS in the desired position when the door is closed, to prevent accidental opening.

The door plate H has a marginal plate l8 secured thereto, as by Welding, the edge of said plate 1 being turned to form a flange l9 which engages the resilient gasket l2 to seal the entire edge of the door against leakage.

The handle 16 is on the outside of the door and a second, inside handle 20 is also provided, both 15 handles being secured to the door spindle 2|, one handle being preferably formed integral with said spindle, as shown.

The plate 18 has an opening in which is rigidly mounted the sleeve 22 which houses the spindle 2|. This sleeve may be welded to the plate or otherwise secured to insure an air-tight connection. Within said sleeve is a bushing 24, made of non-friction material as for example brass, bronze or babbitt. This bushing has a flange 25 25 at one end and has a tapering bore to receive the spindle 2| which has a corresponding taper, as shown in the drawing. Said bushing also has an annular groove 26 therein which surrounds the middle part of the tapering spindle, which spindle has an annular groove 21 therein. This annular groove provides a reservoir for grease, which forms the seal to prevent leakage of liquids or gases along the spindle. The preferred type is a high melting point dehydrated grease or heavy mineral oil or grease having a substantial soap content such as soda soap or zinc soap. Grease of this character is disclosed in Howland and Payne Patent 2,041,835, May 26, 1936.

The annular groove 21 communicates with a transverse duct 28, which in turn communicates with the longitudinal passage 29, through which the grease may be forced by means of the screw threaded plunger 30. The bushing at the small end of the taper terminates a little short of the cylindrical housing 22 so that when the nut 3| on the end of said spindle is tightened against the anti-friction washer 32 and the handle 20, said spindle will be drawn against the tapering wall of the bushing with a wedging engagement, insuring a snug fit mechanically. Said.washer, which may be made of bronze, for example, is interposed between the end of the cylindrical housing 22 and the adjacent bearing surface of the handle 20. V

CAD

The grease may be supplied in the form of a stick inserted in the passageway 29. Grease of this character may be used in the tropics, as it does not melt readily and leak and run out of the joint between the two tapering members. The tendency is to force the plug outwardly, due to the taper, which tendency is resisted by the nut at the end of the spindle, and such slight leakage as might take place results in causing the grease to work toward the large end of the taper, thereby enlarging the zone of lubrication or sealing. It will be seen that the grease surrounds the tapering plug in the form of a cylinder or band and it does not turn with the plug or tapering portion of the spindle. Also, a substantial reserve is provided by virtue of the arrangement described.

The grease is not put into the reservoir when the parts are disassembled, but is forced in after the assembly has been completed.

I claim:

A bearing and sealing assembly for marine compartment doors comprising a tubular bearing passing through an opening in said door and having a water-tight and gas-tight connection therewith, said tubular member having a tapering bore, a spindle having a tapering portion passing through said tubular bearing and having an annular groove around the same, a transverse duct communicating with said annular groove, an annular clearance within said tapering bore surrounding said annular groove, and a longitudinal passageway through said spindle communicating with said transverse duct.

FRANK E. PAYNE. 

